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Catcher In The Rye Persuasive Essay

1120 Words5 Pages

Aside from the newfound phoniness of the museum, Holden has always often based himself on one singular statement ‘I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over’. Throughout the span of the novel Holden asks not one but many adults, mainly the cab drivers he meets about the ducks existence; exposing his real question of what would he do when his life got all ‘frozen over’ and he got stuck all alone. Holden often seeks assistance when it comes to moving along, something the ducks do not have, which is brought up when Holden states, “I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them to them away to the zoo or something. Or if they just flew away” …show more content…

When Holden asks one driver by the name of Horwitz this exact question the dynamic of the statement changes when fish are added into the equation, Horwitz exclaims, “The fish don’t go no place. They stay right where the are, the fish. Right in the goddam lake. The fish-- that’s different. The fish is different. I’m talking about the ducks” (92). The fish frozen within the lake parallel Holden in the mindset that they have to get through it alone. Though the ducks migrate together the fish must go at it by themselves, a fear Holden relates to adulthood. He fears being alone with no one to help him find his way, he rejects simply the thought of growing up therefore trapping him in the repetitive cycle of depression, anxiety and grief. Like the fish in the winter he fears growing up because he is dependent, he relies on and is controlled by others in his life, a problem adults must face head on every day of their miserable

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